1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adjustable steering column assembly for a vehicle, more specifically to an adjustable steering column assembly having a locking device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Vehicles can be equipped with a steering column that adjusts the position of a steering wheel to enhance the comfort and safety of a user. For example, the steering column can provide telescoping movement for moving the steering wheel closer to and away from the user. Also, the steering column can provide raking movement to move the steering wheel up and down relative to the user. These features cooperate to enable the user to adjust the steering wheel to a desired, convenient position for operating the vehicle and for enabling the steering wheel to be moved out of the way to provide greater access to getting into and out of the driver's seat of the vehicle. Adjustable steering columns may include a handle coupled to a locking device for selectively allowing and preventing both the raking movement and the telescoping movement of the steering column simultaneously once the desired position of the steering wheel has been selected. However, the force required to move the handle to allow both the raking movement and the telescoping movement is large due to the simultaneous disengagement of the locking devices. In addition, when a vehicle is in a collision, typically the force applied to the inner jacket in the collision causes the inner jacket to slide a predetermined distance in the outer jacket.
Therefore, there remains a need to develop an adjustable steering column having a locking device that reduces the force to rotate a handle and prevents an inner jacket from sliding within an outer jacket during a collision.